SRS enhancement for asymmetric multi-TRP operation

Abstract

A device configured to communicate with a first transmitting and receiving point (TRP) in an uplink (UL) and a downlink (DL), and to communicate with a second TRP in the UL, wherein the device processes a configuration for transmitting sounding reference signals (SRS) to the first TRP and the second TRP based on signals received from the first TRP—the configuration includes a first closed-loop power control (CLPC) adjustment state for transmitting the SRS to the first TRP and a second CLPC adjustment state for transmitting the SRS to the second TRP—and is configured to generate an SRS including power control parameters according to the first CLPC adjustment state for transmission to the first TRP, and to generate an SRS including power control parameters according to the second CLPC adjustment state for transmission to the second TRP.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 552,721, filed on February 13, 2024, with the title of the invention “SRS Enhancement for Asymmetric Multi-TRP Operation,” the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference. Background Technology

[0002] User Equipment (UE) can be connected to a network through a base station. The base station can control multiple transmission and reception points (TRPs). The UE can operate in multi-TRP (mTRP) mode, in which the UE simultaneously establishes and maintains connections with multiple TRPs.

[0003] In some scenarios, mTRP behavior can be asymmetric with respect to the UE. For example, consider a scenario where a UE is communicating with two TRPs. The UE can have uplink (UL) communications with both TRPs, but can have downlink (DL) communications with only one of the TRPs. This can be referred to as asymmetric TRP behavior.

[0004] For example, various problems related to asymmetric TRP operation, including power control and timing, may exist. For example, typically, the UE can determine UL timing from DL communications. However, if the UE does not have any DL communications with the TRP, the UE may not be able to determine timing for the UL.

[0005] Some exemplary embodiments relate to an apparatus configured to communicate with a first transmitting and receiving point (TRP) in an uplink (UL) and a downlink (DL), and to communicate with a second TRP in the UL, the apparatus comprising a processing circuit, the processing circuit comprising, based on signals received from the first TRP, a configuration for transmitting sounding reference signals (SRS) to the first TRP and the second TRP, the configuration comprising a first closed-loop power control (CLPC) adjustment state for transmitting the SRS to the first TRP and a second CLPC adjustment state for transmitting the SRS to the second TRP, and is configured to generate an SRS including power control parameters according to the first CLPC adjustment state for transmission to the first TRP and to generate an SRS including power control parameters according to the second CLPC adjustment state for transmission to the second TRP. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0006] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary network arrangement according to various exemplary embodiments. FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary user equipment (UE) according to various exemplary embodiments. FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary base station according to various exemplary embodiments. FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary system arrangement in which a UE according to various exemplary embodiments communicates with an asymmetric mTRP array. FIG. 5 illustrates an example of an SRS-ResourceSet information element (IE) including an explicit configuration of two closed-loop power control (CLPC) adjustment states for an SRS according to various exemplary embodiments. FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary media access control element (MAC-CE) for updating a CLPC index for an SRS according to various exemplary embodiments. FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary PathlossReferenceRS-Config IE including a CLPC index according to various exemplary embodiments. FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary PathlossReferenceRS IE including a CLPC index according to various exemplary embodiments. FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary PathlossReferenceRS-Config IE containing inter-cell mTRP path loss information according to various exemplary embodiments. FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary PathlossReferenceRS IE containing inter-cell mTRP path loss information according to various exemplary embodiments. FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplary SRS-ResourceSet IE including a power control offset according to various exemplary embodiments. FIG. 12 illustrates an exemplary MAC-CE for updating a power control offset for an SRS according to various exemplary embodiments. FIG. 13 illustrates an exemplary PathlossReferenceRS-Config IE including a power control offset for an SRS according to various exemplary embodiments. FIG. 14 illustrates an exemplary PathlossReferenceRS IE including a power control offset for an SRS according to various exemplary embodiments. FIG. 15 illustrates an exemplary TCI-State IE including a power control offset for an SRS according to various exemplary embodiments. FIG. 16 illustrates an exemplary TCI-UL-State IE including a power control offset for an SRS according to various exemplary embodiments. FIG. 17 illustrates an exemplary Uplink-powerControl IE of an integrated TCI framework including a power control offset for an SRS according to various exemplary embodiments. The integrated TCI framework is enabled. FIG. 18 illustrates an exemplary P0AlphaSet IE of an integrated TCI framework including a power control offset for an SRS according to various exemplary embodiments. FIG. 19 illustrates an exemplary PathlossReferenceRS IE of an integrated TCI framework including a power control offset for an SRS according to various exemplary embodiments. Exemplary embodiments may be further understood by referring to the following description and the associated accompanying drawings, wherein similar elements are provided with the same reference numerals. The exemplary embodiments relate to asymmetric mTRP operation. Specifically, they relate to the transmission of an SRS in an asymmetric mTRP operation. Exemplary embodiments are described in relation to User Equipment (UE). However, references to the UE are provided only for exemplary purposes. Exemplary embodiments may be used with any electronic component capable of establishing a connection to a network and consist of hardware, software, and / or firmware to exchange information and data with the network. Accordingly, the UE as described herein is used to represent any suitable type of electronic component. Exemplary embodiments are also described in relation to fifth generation (5G) New Radio (NR) networks and next-generation node B (gNB). However, references to 5G NR networks and gNBs are provided only for exemplary purposes. Exemplary embodiments may be utilized with any suitable type of network (e.g., 5G Advanced, 6G, etc.) and base station. A gNB may be composed of multiple transmit and receive points (TRPs). Throughout this specification, a TRP generally refers to a set of components configured to transmit and / or receive a beam. In some embodiments, multiple TRPs may be placed locally within the gNB. For example, the gNB may include multiple antenna arrays / panels, each configured to generate different beams. In other embodiments, multiple TRPs may be placed at various different locations and connected to the gNB via backhaul connections. For example, multiple small cells may be placed at different locations and connected to the gNB. However, these examples are provided for illustrative purposes only. TRPs are configured to be adaptable to a wide variety of different conditions and deployment scenarios. Accordingly, any reference to a specific network component TRP or multiple TRPs arranged in a specific array is provided for illustrative purposes only. A TRP described herein may represent any type of network component configured to transmit and / or receive a beam. Exemplary embodiments describe operations for asymmetric mTRP operation, including the configuration of two closed-loop power control adjustment states to accommodate SRS transmissions for two TRPs, the configuration of the path loss of the first TRP to be applied to the second TRP, and the configuration of the power offset value to be applied to the SRS transmissions. These and other embodiments are described in more detail below. FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary network array (100) according to various exemplary embodiments. The exemplary network array (100) includes a UE (110). The UE (110) may be any type of electronic component configured to communicate over a network, e.g., mobile phones, tablet computers, desktop computers, smartphones, phablets, embedded devices, wearables, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, etc. An actual network array may include any number of UEs being used by any number of users. Thus, an example of a single UE (110) is provided only for exemplary purposes. The UE (110) may be configured to communicate with one or more networks. In the example of the network array (100), the network with which the UE (110) can communicate wirelessly is a 5G NR radio access network (RAN) (120). However, the UE (110) may also communicate with other types of networks (e.g., a sixth generation (6G) RAN, a 5G cloud RAN, a next-generation RAN (NG-RAN), a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) RAN, a legacy cellular network, a wireless local area network (WLAN), etc.), and the UE (110) may also communicate with the networks via a wired connection. In relation to exemplary embodiments, the UE (110) may establish a connection with the 5G NR RAN (120). Thus, the UE (110) may have at least a 5G NR chipset to communicate with the 5G NR RAN (120). The 5G NR RAN (120) may be part of a cellular network that can be deployed by a network carrier (e.g., Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, etc.). The 5G NR RAN (120) may include base stations or access nodes (Node Bs, eNode Bs, HeNBs, eNBs, gNBs, gNode Bs, macrocells, microcells, small cells, femtocells, etc.) configured to transmit and receive traffic from UEs equipped with a suitable cellular chip set. In a network array (100), a 5G NR RAN (120) deploys a gNB (120A). The gNB (120A) may be composed of multiple TRPs. Each TRP may represent one or more components configured to transmit and / or receive signals. In some embodiments, multiple TRPs may be deployed locally in the gNB (120A). In other embodiments, multiple TRPs may be distributed across different locations and connected to the gNB (120A) via backhaul connections. For example, multiple small cells may be deployed across different locations and connected to the gNB (120A). However, these examples are provided for illustrative purposes only. TRPs are configured to be adaptable to a wide variety of different conditions and deployment scenarios. Accordingly, any reference to a specific network component TRP or multiple TRPs deployed in a specific array is provided for illustrative purposes only. The TRPs described herein may represent any type of network component configured to transmit and / or receive beams. Any association procedure may be performed to enable the UE (110) to connect to the 5G NR RAN (120). For example, as discussed above, the 5G NR RAN (120) may be associated with a specific cellular provider having contract and credential information (e.g., stored on a SIM card) for the UE (110) and / or his / her user. Upon detecting the presence of the 5G NR RAN (120), the UE (110) may transmit corresponding credential information to be associated with the 5G NR RAN (120). More specifically, the UE (110) may be associated with a specific base station, e.g., gNB (120A). The network array (100) also includes a cellular core network (130), the Internet (140), an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS, 150), and a network service backbone (160). The cellular core network (130) may refer to an interconnected set of components that manage the operation and traffic of the cellular network. It may include an evolved packet core (EPC) and / or a 5G core (5GC). The cellular core network (130) also manages traffic flowing between the cellular network and the Internet (140). The IMS (150) can generally be described as an architecture for delivering multimedia services to the UE (110) using IP protocols. The IMS (150) may communicate with the cellular core network (130) and the Internet (140) to provide multimedia services to the UE (110). The network service backbone (160) communicates directly or indirectly with the Internet (140) and the cellular core network (130). The network service backbone (160) can generally be described as a set of components (e.g., servers, network storage arrays, etc.) that implement a set of services that can be used to extend the capabilities of the UE (110) communicating with various networks. FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary UE (110) according to various exemplary embodiments. The UE (110) will be described in relation to the network array (100) of FIG. 1. The UE (110) may include a processor (205), a memory array (210), a display device (215), an input / output (I / O) device (220), a transceiver (225), and other components (230). The other components (230) may include, for example, an audio input device, an audio output device, a power supply, a data capture device, ports for electrically connecting the UE (110) to other electronic devices, etc. The processor (205) may be configured to execute a plurality of engines of the UE (110). For example, the engines may include an asymmetric mTRP engine (235) capable of performing various operations related to asymmetric mTRP operations. To provide some general examples, the asymmetric mTRP engine (235) may perform operations including, but not limited to, receiving a configuration of two closed-loop power control coordination states and applying the closed-loop coordination states to SRS transmissions for separate TRPs, receiving a configuration indicating that the path loss of the first TRP will be applied to the second TRP for power control purposes, and receiving a configuration having a power offset value and modifying the transmission power for SRS transmissions based on the power offset value. The engine (235) mentioned above, which is an application (e.g., a program) executed by the processor (205), is provided for exemplary purposes only. Functions associated with the engine (235) may also be represented as a separate integrated component of the UE (110), or as a modular component coupled to the UE (110), e.g., an integrated circuit with or without firmware. For example, the integrated circuit may include an input circuit for receiving signals and a processing circuit for processing signals and other information. The engine may also be implemented as a single application or as separate applications. Additionally, in some UEs, the functions described for the processor (205) are divided between two or more processors, e.g., a baseband processor and an application processor. Exemplary embodiments may be implemented in any of these or other configurations of the UE. The memory array (210) may be a hardware component configured to store data related to operations performed by the UE (110). The display device (215) may be a hardware component configured to display data to the user, while the I / O device (220) may be a hardware component that enables the user to input inputs. The display device (215) and the I / O device (220) may be separate components or may be integrated together, such as a touchscreen. The transceiver (225) may be a hardware component configured to establish a connection with a 5G NR-RAN (120), an LTE-RAN (not shown), a legacy RAN (not shown), a WLAN (not shown), etc. Accordingly, the transceiver (225) may operate on various different frequencies or channels (e.g., a set of consecutive frequencies). The transceiver (225) includes a circuit configured to transmit and / or receive signals (e.g., control signals, data signals). Such signals may be encoded as information implementing any of the methods described herein. A processor (205) may be operably coupled to the transceiver (225) and configured to receive signals from the transceiver (225) and / or transmit them thereto. A processor (205) may be configured to encode, decode, and / or process signals (e.g., signaling from a base station of a network) to implement any of the methods described in this specification. FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary base station (300) according to various exemplary embodiments. The base station (300) may represent a gNB (120A) or any other type of access node that enables the UE (110) to establish a connection and manage network operations. The base station (300) may include a processor (305), a memory array (310), an input / output (I / O) device (315), a transceiver (320), a plurality of TRPs (330), and other components (325). The other components (325) may include, for example, an audio input device, an audio output device, a battery, a data acquisition device, ports for electrically connecting the base station (300) to other electronic devices, and / or power supplies, TxRUs, transceiver chains, antenna elements, antenna panels, etc. As indicated above, in some scenarios, a plurality of TRPs (330) may be deployed locally at the base station (300). In other scenarios, one or more of the plurality of TRPs (330) may be deployed at physical locations remote from the base station (300) and connected to the base station via a backhaul connection. The base station (300) may be configured to control the plurality of TRPs (330) and to perform operations such as, but not limited to, allocating resources, configuring reference signals, and implementing beam management techniques. The processor (305) may be configured to execute a plurality of engines for the base station (300). For example, the engines may include an asymmetric mTRP configuration engine (335) capable of performing various operations related to asymmetric mTRP operations. To provide some general examples, the asymmetric mTRP configuration engine (335) may perform operations such as configuring two closed-loop power control coordination states for the UE to accommodate SRS transmissions for two TRPs, configuring the path loss of the first TRP to be applied to the second TRP, and configuring power offset values ​​to be applied to the SRS transmissions, but not limited to these. The engine (335) mentioned above, which is an application (e.g., a program) executed by the processor (305), is merely an example. The function associated with the engine (335) may also be represented as a separate integrated component of the base station (300), or as a modular component coupled to the base station (300), such as an integrated circuit with or without firmware. For example, the integrated circuit may include an input circuit for receiving signals and a processing circuit for processing signals and other information. Additionally, in some base stations, the function described for the processor (305) is divided among a plurality of processors (e.g., a baseband processor, an application processor, etc.). Exemplary embodiments may be implemented in any of these or other configurations of the base station. The memory array (310) may be a hardware component configured to store data related to operations performed by the base station (300). The I / O device (315) may be a hardware component or ports that enable a user to interact with the base station (300). The transceiver (320) may be a hardware component configured to exchange data with a UE (110) and any other UE within a network array (100). The transceiver (320) may operate on various different frequencies or channels (e.g., a set of consecutive frequencies). Accordingly, the transceiver (320) may include one or more components to enable data exchange with various networks and UEs. The transceiver (320) includes a circuit configured to transmit and / or receive signals (e.g., control signals, data signals). Such signals may be encoded as information that implements any of the methods described herein. A processor (305) may be operably coupled to the transceiver (320) and configured to receive signals from the transceiver (320) and / or transmit them thereto. The processor (305) may be configured to encode, decode, and / or process signals (e.g., signaling from the UE) to implement any of the methods described in this specification. FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary system array (400) in which a UE (110) communicates with an asymmetric mTRP array according to various exemplary embodiments. In the example of FIG. 4, the UE (110) communicates with a first TRP (410) and a second TRP (420). The UE (110) communicates with the TRP (410) in both the DL and the UL. However, the UE (110) communicates with the TRP (420) only in the UL. In one embodiment, exemplary embodiments disclose closed-loop power control (CLPC) for sounding reference signals (SRS) for an asymmetric mTRP scenario. In the UL, UEs transmit SRS so that the TRP can determine the synchronization quality with the UE and UL channel information. The TRP may provide the UE with an SRS configuration that provides CLPC information for the SRS so that the UE can perform power control on the SRS transmitted from the UL. However, in the scenario of FIG. 4, the UE (110) does not receive any DL communications from the TRP (420), and therefore the UE (110) does not receive any information regarding how to perform power control on the SRS transmitted from the UL to the TRP (420). Exemplary embodiments provide two closed-loop power control (CLPC) coordination states. These two CLPC coordination states may be associated with CLPC indices, for example, the first CLPC coordination state is associated with index 0 (i0) and the second CLPC coordination state is associated with index 1 (i1). In the example of FIG. 4, one CLPC index may be applied to one TRP and the other CLPC index may be applied to another TRP, for example, CLPC index 0 may be applied to TRP (410) and CLPC index 1 may be applied to TRP (420). When the UE (110) is signaled with two CLPC indices, the UE (110) can understand how to perform CLPC coordination for SRS transmissions to each of the TRPs (410, 420). The following provides a number of examples of ways in which two CLPC indices may be signaled to the UE (110) by the network. In some exemplary embodiments, the configuration of two CLPC coordination states for the SRS may be explicitly configured in the SRS-ResourceSet configured for the UE (110). For example, a serving cell through the TRP (410) may transmit an SRS-ResourceSet containing two CLPC indices, one of which may be applied to communications with the TRP (410), and the other CLPC indices of which may be applied to communications with the TRP (420), for example, the SRS in the UL. FIG. 5 illustrates an example of an SRS-ResourceSet information element (IE) (500) including an explicit configuration of two closed-loop power control (CLPC) coordination states for an SRS according to various exemplary embodiments. The explicit configuration is shown as closedLoopIndex-r19 ENUMERATED { i0, i1} (510) in the SRS-ResourceSet IE (500). When a UE (110) receives this SRS-ResourceSet IE (500) with the explicit CLPC configuration, the UE (110) may apply the CLPC index (e.g., i0 or i1) for the CLPC of the SRS transmitted to the TRP (420). The SRS-ResourceSet IE (500) SRS may be signaled to the UE (110) via radio resource control (RRC) signaling. Explicit configuration of the CLPC index in SRS-ResourceSet IE (500) may be allowed under certain conditions. For example, when srs-PowerControlAdjustmentStates is configured as "separateClosedLoop", this allows explicit configuration of the CLPC index for SRS. If srs-PowerControlAdjustmentStates is not configured as "separateClosedLoop", the SRS CLPC may follow the PUSCH configuration. Another condition may be that followUnifiedTCI-StateSRS-r17 (not shown) is not enabled. Again, if this condition is enabled, the CLPC for SRS may follow the CLPC configured for the unified TCI state. In other exemplary embodiments, Media Access Control Element (MAC-CE) signaling may be used to update the CLPC index for the SRS. FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary MAC-CE (600) for updating the CLPC index for the SRS according to various exemplary embodiments. The MAC-CE (600) identifies a serving cell (e.g., serving cell ID (610)) and a bandwidth portion (BWP) (BWP ID (615)) associated with the serving cell. Again, the MAC-CE (600) may be transmitted to the UE (110) by the serving cell via the TRP (410). MAC-CE (600) also includes the identity of the SRS resource set. In this example, there are three SRS resource set IDs, SRS resource set 1 (620), SRS resource set 2 (625), and SRS resource set 3 (630). MAC-CE (600) further includes the identity of the path loss reference signal (RS). In this example, there are three path loss reference RS IDs, path loss reference ID 1 (635), path loss reference ID 2 (640), and path loss reference ID 3 (645). MAC-CE (600) also includes a closed loop (CL) index field. In this example, there are three CL fields, CL 1 (650), CL 2 (655), and CL 3 (660). To perform open-loop power control, the UE (110) may use SRS resource sets and path loss reference RS. The MAC-CE (600) may associate each of the SRS resource sets with a corresponding path loss reference RS, for example, SRS resource set 1 (620) may be associated with path loss reference ID 1 (635). MAC-CE (600) can also associate each of the SRS resource sets with a CL index field, for example, SRS resource set 1 (620) is associated with a CL 1 field (650). The CL index field may be a 1-bit field having a value of 0 or 1 corresponding to a first CL index or a second CL index, for example, a value of 0 indicates CL index 0 and a value of 1 indicates CL index 1. In this example, the UE (110) understands which TRP (e.g., TRP (410 or 420)) open-loop power control is applied from the association between the SRS resource set and the corresponding path loss reference RS. This implies that when MAC-CE (600) displays the association between the CL index field and the SRS resource set, UE (110) will also understand which TRP (TRP (410) or TRP (420)) the SRS resource set and the corresponding CLPC of the SRS resource set apply to. Thus, when UE (110) receives MAC-CE (600), UE (110) will understand the association between the SRS resource sets and the corresponding CL index, and the CLPC that should be applied to the SRS of TRP (420) from the value of the CL index. The advantage of MAC-CE(600) is that the same signaling can be used to update the closed-loop index for SRS and the path loss RS for SRS. In additional exemplary embodiments, the configuration of two CLPC adjustment states for the SRS can be configured in the PathlossReferenceRS-Config IE. FIG. 7 illustrates an exemplary PathlossReferenceRS-Config IE (700) including a CLPC index according to various exemplary embodiments. In FIG. 7, the PathlossReferenceRS-Config IE (700) includes a parameter closedLoopIndex-r19 ENUMERATED { i0, i1} (710) that can be used to signal a CLPC index for the SRS. As described above with reference to the MAC-CE example, the UE (110) understands the relationship between the TRP where open-loop power control is being performed and the path loss reference RS. Since PathlossReferenceRS-Config can be referenced directly or indirectly in the SRS-ResourceSet, by including the CLPC index for the SRS in PathlossReferenceRS-Config, the UE (110) will also understand the TRP to which the CLPC for the SRS resource set is applied. In additional exemplary embodiments, the configuration of two CLPC adjustment states for the SRS can be configured in the PathlossReferenceRS IE. FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary PathlossReferenceRS IE (800) including a CLPC index according to various exemplary embodiments. In FIG. 8, the PathlossReferenceRS IE (800) includes a parameter closedLoopIndex-r19 ENUMERATED { i0, i1} (810) which can be used to signal a CLPC index for the SRS. Similar to the example described above with respect to PathlossReferenceRS-Config, PathlossReferenceRS can be directly referenced from SRS-ResourceSet, and by including a CLPC index for SRS in PathlossReferenceRS, UE (110) will also understand the TRP to which the CLPC for the SRS resource set is applied. In additional exemplary embodiments, the configuration of two CLPC coordination states for the SRS may be configured in downlink control information (DCI), e.g., DCI format 2_3. DCI format 2_3 may include a transmit power control (TPC) command field used to control the transmit power of the SRS. DCI format 2_3 may be defined in 3GPP technical specification 38.212, and currently, the TPC command field is a 2-bit field. The 2-bit TPC command may be used to signal to the UE to increase or decrease the transmit power for the SRS and to signal a step size that may be used for the increase / decrease. However, since current standards do not support two closed-loop power control states, there is currently no indication of a CLPC index. The TPC command field may also be used to signal a CLPC index to the UE (110). In the first option, for each TPC command of DCI format 2_3, one bit may be added to indicate the CLPC index. This will indicate to the UE (110) whether the TPC command (e.g., increment / decrease and step size) will be applied to CLPC index 0 or CLPC index 1. Subsequently, the UE (110) can apply the TPC command to the correct SRS transmissions, e.g., the SRS transmitted to the TRP (410) or the TRP (420). In the second option, for each TPC command of DCI format 2_3, 2 bits are added. The original 2 bits can be used to provide a TPC command for CLPC index 0, and the added 2 bits can be used to provide a TPC command for CLPC index 1. In this option, the TPC command for each CLPC index can be updated whenever DCI format 2_3 is provided to the UE (110). In the third option, the number of bits within each TPC command of DCI format 2_3 is not increased, and, for example, the original 2 bits are used. In this option, the first bit indicates the TPC command for CLPC index 0, and the second bit indicates the TPC command for CLPC index 1. In this option, there is no change to the DCI format, but the resolution of the TPC command may be lower because only a single bit is used to indicate the TPC command for each CLPC index, for example, each TRP. Similar to the second option, in this option, the reception of the DCI can update the TPC command for both indices. In another aspect, exemplary embodiments disclose operations for supporting inter-cell mTRP for SRS. In inter-cell mTRP, each TRP may be controlled by a different cell, for example, each TRP may have a different physical cell identity (PCI). For example, referring to FIG. 4, TRP (410) may be controlled by a first cell and TRP (420) may be controlled by a second cell. As described above, part of the power control for the SRS involves measuring the path loss based on the path loss RS transmitted from the DL. However, in the case of the TRP (420), there is no DL to measure the path loss. Furthermore, in the inter-cell mTRP, the UE (110) may not have any communication with the cell controlling the TRP (420) in the DL. Therefore, the UE (110) may use the path loss associated with a different cell (e.g., the cell associated with the TRP (410)) for SRS power control for the TRP (420). In the legacy TCI framework, there is no current mechanism to indicate this type of configuration to the UE (110). The following exemplary embodiments provide ways to signal this information to the UE (110). In some exemplary embodiments, path loss information for a TRP (e.g., TRP (420)) that does not include DL communications may be signaled in the PathlossReferenceRS-Config IE. FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary PathlossReferenceRS-Config IE (900) containing inter-cell mTRP path loss information according to various exemplary embodiments. The PathlossReferenceRS-Config IE (900) may be signaled from the TRP (410) to the UE (110). As described above, the TRP (410) has a first PCI associated with the cell controlling the TRP (410). The parameter additionalPCI-r19 AdditionalPCIIndex-r17 OPTIONAL -- Cond RS-SSB (910) may be used to signal the second PCI of the TRP (420), e.g., the PCI of the cell controlling the TRP (420), to the UE (110). This indication of the PCI of the TRP (420) in the PathlossReferenceRS-Config IE (900) indicates to the UE (110) that the path loss determined for the TRP (410) can be used for SRS power control for the TRP (420). In some exemplary embodiments, path loss information for a TRP (e.g., TRP (420)) that does not include DL communications may be signaled in the PathlossReferenceRS IE. FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary PathlossReferenceRS IE containing inter-cell mTRP path loss information according to various exemplary embodiments. The PathlossReferenceRS-Config IE (1000) may be signaled from the TRP (410) to the UE (110). As described above, the TRP (410) has a first PCI associated with the cell controlling the TRP (410). The parameter additionalPCI-r19 AdditionalPCIIndex-r17 OPTIONAL -- Cond RS-SSB (1010) may be used to signal the second PCI of the TRP (420), e.g., the PCI of the cell controlling the TRP (420), to the UE (110). This indication of the PCI of the TRP (420) in the PathlossReferenceRS-Config IE (1000) indicates to the UE (110) that the path loss determined for the TRP (410) can be used for SRS power control for the TRP (420). In the examples above, PCI can be configured only when the Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) is configured as a path-loss RS, and, for example, PCI is not applicable when the CSI-RS is configured as a path-loss RS. In a further aspect, exemplary embodiments disclose operations to support PC offset for SRS. As described above, part of power control for SRS includes measuring path loss based on path loss RS transmitted from DL. Also, as described above, when TRP (420) is not transmitting from DL, UE (110) may rely on path loss for DL ​​transmissions from TRP (410) (in an in-cell or inter-cell mTRP scenario). However, path loss between TRP (410) and UE (110) may not be an accurate representation of path loss between TRP (420) and UE (110). For example, path loss may depend on various factors such as the distance of UE (110) from TRPs, obstacles between TRPs and UE (110), etc. In exemplary embodiments, the serving cell may provide the UE (110) with a PC offset to be applied to the PC of SRS transmissions for a TRP that does not include DL transmissions, e.g., TRP (420), in order to compensate for the difference in path loss between TRPs. For example, the network may understand the location of the UE (110) for the TRPs (410, 420) and may provide the UE (110) with a PC offset based on this information or any other information that allows the network to understand the difference in path loss between the UE and two different TRPs. Accordingly, in some exemplary embodiments, the network signals a power control offset P to the UE (110). SRS,offset Configures. Subsequently, the UE sets the transmit power for the SRS to the TRP (420) P SRS,offset You can modify it as much as possible. In some exemplary embodiments, the network P for two CLPC indices SRS,offset It can be configured. In the first option, different P SRS,offsetThis can be configured for these different closed-loop indices. In the second option, the same P SRS,offset It can be configured for both of these closed-loop indices. In some exemplary embodiments, P SRS,offset It can be explicitly configured. FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplary SRS-ResourceSet IE (1100) containing a power control offset according to various exemplary embodiments. The parameter PCOffset-r19 INTEGER {-20:20} (1110) can be used to signal the power control offset to the UE (110). In some examples, the explicit configuration of the power control offset in the SRS-ResourceSet (1100) may be allowed only when the parameter followUnifiedTCI-StateSRS-r17 is not enabled, because when this parameter is enabled, the UE (110) can use information from the IE for power control. The parameter PCOffset-r19 INTEGER {-20:20} (1110) shows some examples of ranges and step sizes that can be used for the power control offset. However, these are only examples, and other ranges and step sizes may also be used. In some exemplary embodiments, MAC-CE may be used to update the power control offset for the SRS. In these exemplary embodiments, it is recognized that the UE (110) is in a mobile state and can move toward the TRPs (410, 420). Therefore, the power control offset may need to be updated when the UE (110) is moving toward the TRPs (410, 420). MAC-CE may be a fast method for updating the power control offset for the UE (110). FIG. 12 illustrates an exemplary MAC-CE (1200) for updating a power control offset for an SRS according to various exemplary embodiments. The MAC-CE (1200) includes some fields similar to those in the MAC-CE (600) described above. Therefore, these fields will not be described again. The difference is that the MAC-CE (1200) includes power offset fields, e.g., power offset 1 (1250), power offset 2 (1255), and power offset 3 (1260). Again, similar to the CL index signaling for FIG. 6, the association between the power offset and the SRS resource set can indicate to the UE (110) the power offset that can be used for a specific TRP. In additional exemplary embodiments, the configuration of the power control offset for the SRS can be configured in the PathlossReferenceRS-Config IE. FIG. 13 illustrates an exemplary PathlossReferenceRS-Config IE (1300) including a power control offset for the SRS according to various exemplary embodiments. In FIG. 13, the PathlossReferenceRS-Config IE (1300) includes a parameter PCOffset-r19 INTEGER {-20:20} (1310) that can be used to signal the power control offset for the SRS. As described above with reference to the MAC-CE example, the UE (110) understands the relationship between the TRP where open-loop power control is being performed and the path loss reference RS. Since PathlossReferenceRS-Config can be referenced directly or indirectly in the SRS-ResourceSet, by including the power control offset for the SRS in PathlossReferenceRS-Config, the UE (110) will also understand the TRP to which the power control offset is applied. In additional exemplary embodiments, the configuration of the power control offset for the SRS can be configured in the PathlossReferenceRS IE. FIG. 14 illustrates an exemplary PathlossReferenceRS IE (1400) including a power control offset according to various exemplary embodiments. In FIG. 14, the PathlossReferenceRS IE (1400) includes a parameter PCOffset-r19 INTEGER {-20:20} (1410) which can be used to signal the power control offset for the SRS. Similar to the example described above with respect to PathlossReferenceRS-Config, PathlossReferenceRS can be directly referenced from SRS-ResourceSet, and by including the power control offset for SRS in PathlossReferenceRS, the UE (110) will also understand the TRP to which the power control offset is applied. The parameters PCOffset-r19 INTEGER {-20:20}(1310, 1410) show some examples of ranges and step sizes that can be used for power control offset. However, these are only examples, and other ranges and step sizes may be used. As described above, in some examples, explicit configuration of the power control offset may not be allowed when the parameter followUnifiedTCI-StateSRS-r17 is enabled. The following provides examples of signaling the power control offset to the UE (110) when the parameter followUnifiedTCI-StateSRS-r17 is enabled. FIG. 15 illustrates an exemplary TCI-State IE (1500) including a power control offset for an SRS according to various exemplary embodiments. In FIG. 15, the TCI-State IE (1500) includes a parameter PCOffset-r19 INTEGER {-20:20} (1510) which can be used to signal a power control offset for an SRS. The TCI-State IE (1500) can be used when the TCI states for both UL and DL follow the same configuration. FIG. 16 illustrates an exemplary TCI-UL-State IE (1600) including a power control offset for an SRS according to various exemplary embodiments. In FIG. 16, the TCI-UL-State IE (1600) includes a parameter PCOffset-r19 INTEGER {-20:20} (1610) which can be used to signal a power control offset for an SRS. The TCI-UL-State IE (1600) can be used when the TCI states for the UL and DL are different. FIG. 17 illustrates an exemplary Uplink-powerControl IE (1700) of an integrated TCI framework including a power control offset for an SRS according to various exemplary embodiments. In FIG. 17, the Uplink-powerControl IE (1700) includes a parameter PCOffset-r19 INTEGER {-20:20} (1710) which can be used to signal a power control offset for an SRS when the integrated TCI framework is enabled. FIG. 18 illustrates an exemplary P0AlphaSet IE (1800) of an integrated TCI framework including a power control offset for an SRS according to various exemplary embodiments. In FIG. 18, the P0AlphaSet IE (1800) includes a parameter PCOffset-r19 INTEGER {-20:20} (1810) which can be used to signal a power control offset for an SRS when the integrated TCI framework is enabled. FIG. 19 illustrates an exemplary PathlossReferenceRS IE (1900) of an integrated TCI framework including a power control offset for an SRS according to various exemplary embodiments. In FIG. 19, the PathlossReferenceRS IE (1900) includes a parameter PCOffset-r19 INTEGER {-20:20} (1910) which can be used to signal a power control offset for an SRS when the integrated TCI framework is enabled. Examples In the first example, a method performed by a device configured to communicate with a first transmitting and receiving point (TRP) in an uplink (UL) and a downlink (DL), and to communicate with a second TRP in the UL, comprising the steps of: processing a configuration for transmitting sounding reference signals (SRS) to the first TRP and the second TRP based on signals received from the first TRP—the configuration includes a first closed-loop power control (CLPC) adjustment state for transmitting the SRS to the first TRP and a second CLPC adjustment state for transmitting the SRS to the second TRP—; generating an SRS including power control parameters according to the first CLPC adjustment state for transmission to the first TRP; and generating an SRS including power control parameters according to the second CLPC adjustment state for transmission to the second TRP. In the second example, in the method of the first example, the configuration includes an SRS-ResourceSet information element (IE) that includes a CLPC index corresponding to a first CLPC adjustment state or a second CLPC adjustment state. In the third example, in the method of the second example, the srs-PowerControlAdjustmentStates parameter of SRS-ResourceSet IE is configured as "separateClosedLoop", and the followUnifiedTCI-StateSRS-r17 of the configuration is not enabled. In the fourth example, in the method of the first example, the configuration includes a media access control element (MAC-CE) that associates a first CLPC index corresponding to a first CLPC coordination state with a first SRS resource set identification for a first TRP, and associates a second CLPC index corresponding to a second CLPC coordination state with a second SRS resource set identification for a second TRP. In the fifth example, in the method of the fourth example, the MAC-CE additionally associates the first SRS resource set identification with the first path loss reference signal (RS) identification and associates the second SRS resource set identification with the second path loss reference RS identification. In the sixth example, in the method of the first example, the configuration includes a PathlossReferenceRS-Config information element (IE) that includes a CLPC index corresponding to a first CLPC adjustment state or a second CLPC adjustment state. In the seventh example, in the method of the first example, the configuration includes a PathlossReferenceRS information element (IE) that includes a CLPC index corresponding to a first CLPC adjustment state or a second CLPC adjustment state. In the eighth example, in the method of the first example, the configuration includes downlink control information (DCI) including a transmit power control (TPC) command field containing information related to the first CLPC adjustment state or the second CLPC adjustment state. In the ninth example, in the method of the eighth example, the DCI includes DCI format 2_3. In the 10th example, in the method of the 8th example, the TPC command includes a CLPC index bit set to a value corresponding to the first CLPC adjustment state or the second CLPC adjustment state. In the 11th example, in the method of the 8th example, the TPC command includes a first set of two bits corresponding to a first CLPC adjustment state and a second set of two bits corresponding to a second CLPC adjustment state. In the 12th example, in the method of the 8th example, the TPC command includes a first bit corresponding to a first CLPC adjustment state and a second bit corresponding to a second CLPC adjustment state. In the 13th example, in the method of the 1st example, the first TRP includes a first physical cell identity (PCI) corresponding to the first cell, and the second TRP includes a second PCI corresponding to the second cell, and the configuration further includes an indication that the device will use a PL based on measurements of path loss reference signals (RS) transmitted by the first TRP as a path loss (PL) for power control of the SRS for the SRS transmitted to the second TRP. In the 14th example, in the method of the 13th example, the configuration includes a PathlossReferenceRS-Config information element (IE) that includes the identification of the 2nd PCI. In the 15th example, in the method of the 13th example, the configuration includes a PathlossReferenceRS information element (IE) that includes the identification of the 2nd PCI. In the 16th example, in the method of the 1st example, the configuration further includes a power control offset value, and the transmission power for transmitting the SRS to the 2nd TRP is modified by the power offset value. In the 17th example, in the method of the 16th example, the first power offset value is provided for a CLPC index corresponding to the first CLPC adjustment state, and the second power offset value is provided for a CLPC index corresponding to the second CLPC adjustment state. In the 18th example, in the method of the 16th example, power offset values ​​are provided for CLPC indices corresponding to the first CLPC adjustment state and the second CLPC adjustment state. In the 19th example, in the method of the 16th example, the configuration includes an SRS-ResourceSet information element (IE) that includes an indication of a power control offset. In the 20th example, in the method of the 19th example, the srs-PowerControlAdjustmentStates parameter of SRS-ResourceSet IE is configured as "separateClosedLoop", and the followUnifiedTCI-StateSRS-r17 of the configuration is not enabled. In the 21st example, in the method of the 16th example, the configuration includes a media access control element (MAC-CE) that associates a first power control index corresponding to a first power control offset with a first SRS resource set identification and associates a second power control index corresponding to a second SRS resource set identification. In Example 22, in the method of Example 21, MAC-CE additionally associates the first SRS resource set identification with the first path loss reference signal (RS) identification and associates the second SRS resource set identification with the second path loss reference RS identification. In Example 23, in the method of Example 16, the configuration includes a PathlossReferenceRS-Config information element (IE) that includes an indication of a power control offset. In Example 24, in the method of Example 16, the configuration includes a PathlossReferenceRS information element (IE) that includes an indication of a power control offset. In Example 25, in the method of Example 16, the configuration's followUnifiedTCI-StateSRS-r17 is enabled, and the configuration includes a TCI-State information element (IE) that includes an indication of a power control offset. In Example 26, in the method of Example 16, the configuration's followUnifiedTCI-StateSRS-r17 is enabled, and the configuration includes a TCI-UL-State information element (IE) that includes an indication of a power control offset. In Example 27, in the method of Example 16, the configuration's followUnifiedTCI-StateSRS-r17 is enabled, and the configuration includes an Uplink-powerControl information element (IE) that includes an indication of a power control offset. In Example 28, in the method of Example 16, the configuration's followUnifiedTCI-StateSRS-r17 is enabled, and the configuration includes a P0AlphaSet information element (IE) that includes an indication of a power control offset. In Example 29, in the method of Example 16, the configuration's followUnifiedTCI-StateSRS-r17 is enabled, and the configuration includes a PathlossReferenceRS information element (IE) that includes an indication of a power control offset. In Example 30, the processor is configured to perform the method of any one of Examples 1 through 29. In Example 31, the user equipment (UE) is configured to perform the method of any one of Examples 1 through 29. Those skilled in the art will understand that the exemplary embodiments described above may be implemented in any suitable software or hardware configuration or a combination thereof. Exemplary hardware platforms for implementing the exemplary embodiments may include, for example, Intel x86-based platforms having a compatible operating system, Windows OS, MAC platforms, and mobile devices having an operating system such as MAC OS, iOS, Android, etc. The exemplary embodiments described above may be implemented as a program comprising lines of code stored on a non-transient computer-readable storage medium that can be executed on a processor or microprocessor when compiled. In some embodiments, a non-transient computer-readable memory medium (e.g., a non-transient memory element) may be configured to store program instructions and / or data, wherein the program instructions, when executed by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform a method, e.g., any of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of the method embodiments described herein, or any subset of any of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of such subsets. In some embodiments, a device (e.g., UE) may be configured to include a processor (or set of processors) and a memory medium (or, memory element), wherein the memory medium stores program instructions, the processor is configured to read and execute program instructions from the memory medium, and the program instructions are executable to implement any of the various method embodiments described herein (or any combination of the method embodiments described herein, or any subset of any of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of such subsets). The device may be realized in any of the various forms. Embodiments of the present invention may be realized in any of various forms. For example, in some embodiments, the present invention may be realized as a computer-implemented method, a computer-readable memory medium, or a computer system. In other embodiments, the present invention may be realized using one or more custom-designed hardware devices, such as ASICs. In other embodiments, the present invention may be realized using one or more programmable hardware elements, such as FPGAs. Although the present application describes various embodiments having different features in various combinations, those skilled in the art will understand that any of the features of one embodiment may be combined with features of other embodiments in any manner that is not specifically identified or that is not functionally or logically inconsistent with the operation of the device or the mentioned functions of the disclosed embodiments. It is well understood that the use of personally identifiable information must follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or government requirements for maintaining users' privacy. In particular, personally identifiable information data must be managed and handled to minimize the risk of unintended or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use must be clearly indicated to users. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made to the present disclosure without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the present disclosure is intended to cover modifications and variations of the present disclosure, provided that such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

Claim 1 A device configured to communicate with a first transmitting and receiving point (TRP) in an uplink (UL) and a downlink (DL), and to communicate with a second TRP in the UL, wherein the device comprises a processing circuit, the processing circuit comprising, based on signals received from the first TRP, processing a configuration for transmitting sounding reference signals (SRS) to the first TRP and the second TRP, wherein the configuration comprises a first closed-loop power control (CLPC) adjustment state for transmitting the SRS to the first TRP and a second CLPC adjustment state for transmitting the SRS to the second TRP; generating an SRS including power control parameters according to the first CLPC adjustment state for transmission to the first TRP; and generating an SRS including power control parameters according to the second CLPC adjustment state for transmission to the second TRP. Claim 2 A device according to claim 1, wherein the configuration comprises an SRS-ResourceSet information element (IE) including a CLPC index corresponding to the first CLPC adjustment state or the second CLPC adjustment state. Claim 3 In paragraph 2, the srs-PowerControlAdjustmentStates parameter of the SRS-ResourceSet IE is configured as "separateClosedLoop", and the followUnifiedTCI-StateSRS-r17 of the configuration is not enabled, the device. Claim 4 A device according to claim 1, wherein the configuration comprises a Media Access Control element (MAC-CE) that associates a first CLPC index corresponding to the first CLPC coordination state with a first SRS resource set identification for the first TRP, and associates a second CLPC index corresponding to the second CLPC coordination state with a second SRS resource set identification for the second TRP. Claim 5 In paragraph 4, the MAC-CE further associates the first SRS resource set identification with the first path loss reference signal (RS) identification and associates the second SRS resource set identification with the second path loss reference RS identification. Claim 6 A device according to claim 1, wherein the configuration comprises a PathlossReferenceRS-Config information element (IE) including a CLPC index corresponding to the first CLPC adjustment state or the second CLPC adjustment state. Claim 7 The device according to claim 1, wherein the configuration comprises a PathlossReferenceRS information element (IE) including a CLPC index corresponding to the first CLPC adjustment state or the second CLPC adjustment state. Claim 8 A device according to claim 1, wherein the configuration comprises downlink control information (DCI) including a transmit power control (TPC) command field including information related to the first CLPC adjustment state or the second CLPC adjustment state. Claim 9 In claim 8, the device comprises a TPC command including a CLPC index bit set to a value corresponding to the first CLPC adjustment state or the second CLPC adjustment state. Claim 10 In claim 8, the device comprises a first set of two bits corresponding to the first CLPC adjustment state and a second set of two bits corresponding to the second CLPC adjustment state. Claim 11 In claim 8, the device wherein the TPC command comprises a first bit corresponding to the first CLPC adjustment state and a second bit corresponding to the second CLPC adjustment state. Claim 12 A device according to claim 1, wherein the first TRP includes a first physical cell identity (PCI) corresponding to a first cell and the second TRP includes a second PCI corresponding to a second cell, and the configuration further includes an indication that the device will use a PL based on measurements of path loss reference signals (RS) transmitted by the first TRP as a path loss (PL) for power control of an SRS for an SRS transmitted to the second TRP. Claim 13 A device according to claim 1, wherein the configuration further includes a power control offset value, and the transmission power for transmitting the SRS to the second TRP is modified by the power offset value. Claim 14 A device according to claim 13, wherein the first power offset value is provided for a CLPC index corresponding to the first CLPC adjustment state, and the second power offset value is provided for a CLPC index corresponding to the second CLPC adjustment state. Claim 15 A device according to claim 13, wherein the power offset value is provided for CLPC indices corresponding to the first CLPC adjustment state and the second CLPC adjustment state. Claim 16 In paragraph 13, the above configuration comprises a device including an SRS-ResourceSet information element (IE) that includes an indication of the power control offset. Claim 17 In paragraph 13, the above configuration comprises a device including a media access control element (MAC-CE) that associates a first power control index corresponding to a first power control offset with a first SRS resource set identification and associates a second power control index corresponding to a second SRS resource set identification. Claim 18 In paragraph 13, the device comprises a PathlossReferenceRS-Config information element (IE) including an indication of the power control offset. Claim 19 In paragraph 13, the above configuration comprises a PathlossReferenceRS information element (IE) including an indication of the power control offset. Claim 20 In paragraph 13, the followUnifiedTCI-StateSRS-r17 of the above configuration is enabled, and the configuration includes a TCI-State information element (IE) including an indication of the power control offset.

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